Thomas A. Afzal

CardioThoracic Systems, Inc., located in Cupertino, Calif., is a leading developer of proprietary technologies in minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery. CTS introduced its first generation system for minimally invasive beating heart bypass surgery in January 1997. Since that time, over 11,000 beating heart bypass procedures, including midline and thorocotomy approaches, have been performed using CTS' propriety instruments. CTS is also developing technologies in the area of minimally invasive valve repair. CardioThoracic Systems, Inc., has been acquired by Guidant in 1999.

Spinal Kinetics LLC operates as a holding company that provides therapeutic devices. It focuses on partnering with spine surgeons to develop motion preservation systems for treating degenerative diseases of the spine. The company was founded by Thomas A. Afzal in 2003 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA.

PneumRx, Inc. operates as a medical device company which focuses on developing minimally-invasive solutions for unmet medical needs in pulmonary medicine. Its product is a minimally invasive device intended to improve exercise capacity, lung function, and quality of life in patients with both heterogeneous and homogeneous emphysema. The company was founded by by Erin McGurk, Mark L. Mathis, and Ronald Dieck in 2004 and is headquartered in Mountain View, CA.

Crosstrees Medical, Inc. develops medical devices for the spine fracture treatment. The firm focuses on percutaneous vertebral augmentation to control bone cement delivery and decrease cement leakage associated with vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty, the surgical treatments for vertebral compression fractures. The company was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Boulder, CO.

Novum Medical, Inc. operates as a medical device company. It engages in the development of advanced orthobiomaterials utilizing a proprietary process capable of producing structures that are both strong and porous. The company was founded by Paul K. Nichols, Jr. and is headquartered in Woburn, MA.

Dextera Surgical, Inc. designs and manufactures proprietary stapling and anastomotic devices for cardiac and laparoscopic surgical procedures. It specializes in robotic-assisted surgery and medical devices. The company was founded by Bernard A. Hausen and Stephen A. Yencho on October 15, 1997 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, CA.

Cardiovention, Inc. manufactures cardiovascular equipment. The firm develops, manufactures, and markets circulatory support system that offers clinicians the opportunity to deliver high-quality medical care. The company was founded by Thomas A. Afzal and is located in Santa Clara, CA.

Ivy Sports Medicine LLC develops and produces meniscus implants. The firm CMI, SharpShooter, BioSeed-C, chondrotissue, OPTIVISC and Tropocells PRP. It provides comprehensive service and support to physicians for our meniscus products. The company was founded in February 2011 and is headquartered in Montvale, NJ.